The Survivors

By Jane Harper

Goodreads Synopsis

“Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets…Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.  The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.  Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.  When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away…” (Goodreads)

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My Take

Character Connection

This is definitely a character-driven story rather than plot-driven.  We have a pretty large cast of characters and even those who seem minor to the storyline draw you in to wanting to understand them on a deeper level.  It’s also atmospheric in nature – the island town and surrounding coastline playing just as important of a role as our characters do.

Twisty-Turns

As someone who appreciates the fast-paced nature of most books in the “Thriller” genre – this one challenged me.  It can definitely be referred to as a slow-burn – the first half moving at a snail’s pace and the second half bumping up to turtle speed.  However, as we know, the turtle beats the hare in the end.  This mystery keeps you guessing “whodunnit” until the last chapter and has you questioning the motives of multiple characters.

Psych-Links

Mental health issues abound in The Survivors in a relatable way that makes you feel in the story.  Our cast of characters deal with grief, post-traumatic amnesia, post-traumatic stress, and dementia. It’s uncomfortable at times to read due to the very human nature of the story. You are left feeling like this could be your family, your friends, your community struggling through these issues (some in healthy ways…but mostly not).

Cine-ability

Atmospheric, moody mysteries seem perfect for the small screen, specifically a limited series. Shows like Broadchurch, The Fall, and The Killing come to mind.  The setting of Coastal Tasmania with its cliffs, dangerous tides, and small towns would also make a beautifully dark backdrop for this mystery.  As I mentioned, the cast of characters is pretty large, so I’ll focus on just a few for this casting:

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The Merry Murderino’s Overall Rating

The majority of readers have rated The Survivors the same way.  This has a solid mystery, excellent character-development, and beautiful setting – for me it lacked in pacing.  If you don’t enjoy murdery-descriptions as much as I do you’ll enjoy this one!  It focuses on the emotional, deeply human characters rather than any sordid details. If you enjoyed books like Where the Crawdads Sing or Big Little Lies – The Survivors feels comparable. Read and enjoy!

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